


Open up Your Eyes

by penninghistory



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Especially this one, Gen, my little pony songs are bops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 17:43:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21040199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penninghistory/pseuds/penninghistory
Summary: Amya tells Princess Cassandra, aka Evanlyn, her backstory, via a song and flashback. Inspired by the scene from the My Little Pony movie see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fktlkNNp8Mw





	Open up Your Eyes

Darkness was prevailing in the Mountains of Rain and Night, more so here, where the weather seemed mostly cloudy and rainy. Amya had grown up here, shrouded by the rain and darkness, where the sun barely seemed to rise. And now, there was another, a prisoner more than anything — a girl with red hair and bright eyes.   
She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. A morbid sense of curiosity, as though if she didn't give in to it, sooner or later it would force her to. And so, one day, she did, lighting a small candle and making her way to where the girl was being held. She had been told her name was Evanlyn, and when she stepped into the room, nodding her thanks to the man guarding it, she could see those bright eyes and red hair that had given her father's men pause. Evanlyn was easily five years younger than her, and though part of her panged in worry, she forced the feeling aside, setting the candle down and walking to the fireplace, bending down to try and light a fire. "Do they not teach how to light a fire in Araluen anymore?" she asked, not surprised when the girl held her uneasy silence. Amya pretended to let go of a weary sigh, then stood up, laughing lightly.   
"A girl from Araluen, trapped here, alone," she commented, and it was this that made the other girl speak.   
"Why are you doing this? You're Araluen, just like...just like me."   
Amya gripped the front of Evanlyn's jerkin and yanked her forward, a skill she had learned from her father. "I am nothing like you," she snapped. "I'm more than you will ever be." She pushed Evanlyn backward, took a deep breath as the girl stumbled, then continued.   
"It's time you learned a lesson, it's time that you understand," she started, moving towards the door, then turning to face the younger girl. "Don't ever count on anyone else, in this or any other land. I once hoped for friendship," the last word was spat out, as though Amya were spitting poison, "to find a place among my kind. But those were the childish wishes of someone who was blind."   
She opened the door and gestured for Evanlyn to follow. "Open up your eyes, see the world from where I stand. Me among the mighty, you caged at my command." Amya gestured around the hallway, at the guard who seemed a little flustered at being pointed out. "Open up your eyes! Give up your sweet fantasy land. It's time to grow up and get wise...Come on little one, Open up your eyes!"   
Amya forced Evanlyn to look her in the eyes for a long moment before letting go and looking away as she led the younger girl through her home. She paused in front of a room, bigger than the first, and gestured for Evanlyn to look in as she started her story. "We all start out the same, with simple, naive trust..."   
Inside, the room changed to that of a grand castle. A small child and her father were seated on a high backed chair and stool, the child playing with a toy while her father looked over papers. It was clear to see the child was Amya, the man, Morgarath. "Shielded from the many ways that life's not fair or just." Present-day Amya continued, watching as her younger self turned excitedly to face her father, who lowered his papers to listen to his daughter. The man smiled slightly, and the scene shifted to a tournament field, where younger Amya was now in her father's arms, looking scared at a young King Duncan. Amya didn't miss the start of recognition on Evanlyn's face as she took another deep breath.   
"But then there comes a moment, a simple truth that you must face, if you depend on others, you'll never find your place..."   
The scene flipped rapidly from Amya being carried through a secret passage, half-asleep, to Amya screaming as her mother was killed. "And as you take that first step, among a path that's all your own, you see it all so clearly, the best way to survive is all alone..."   
Amya turned away once more, closing her eyes. "Open up your eyes! See the world from where I stand! Me among the mighty, you caged at my command...Open up your eyes, and behold the fading light! It's time to grow up, and get wise. Come on, little one...Open up your eyes!"   
Evanlyn paused, looking away, then said, quietly. "I'm so sorry you felt alone."   
"Your King failed me, failed my mother," Amya said, looking back at Evanlyn. "Looks like I'm not the only one."   
Evanlyn shook her head but didn't meet the woman's gaze. "No, I failed the King."


End file.
